This invention relates to a two-way dump spreader and in particular to a two way spreader that is equipped with a combination road grader and scarifier.
In 1955 the present assignee introduced the now well known two way dump spreader wherein a vehicle equipped with a dump body could be used either as a spreader or a dump truck. Up until that time trucks used for spreading sand or salt over a road surface were equipped with a large hopper-like box capable of holding a quantity of sand or salt or a combination of the two. The material was fed to a spreader suspended from the back of the box which distributed the material behind the vehicle. The entire spreader unit typically was dedicated to perform only one task and at the end of the winter was generally placed in storage until the next winter. Accordingly, this expensive piece of equipment could only be used on a limited basis.
Typically, a combination dump spreader has a straight walled dump body mounted upon the chassis of the vehicle and dual hinge arrangement that permits either the front end or the back end of the body to be raised depending on the mode of operation that is selected. When the vehicle is to be used as a spreader or sander, a forward hinge is coupled to a hydraulic power cylinder and the dump body tilted in a forward direction to direct particulate material stored in the body into spreader chutes mounted on one or both sides of the vehicle forward of the rear wheels. When the vehicle is needed for use as a dump truck, the front hinge is uncoupled and a second rear hinge is coupled to the power cylinder. Actuating the cylinder causes the body to be tilted rearwardly whereby the load is dispensed through the tail gate.
The present invention further expands the utility of the two way spreader by providing a scraper blade attachment that is ideally well suited for grading and/or scarifying snow and ice covered road surfaces in the winter and unfinished or dirt road surfaces during warmer months. In many colder climates, road surfaces become completely covered with a hard packed layer of ice and snow that builds up to a point where it cannot be removed by a conventional snowplow. Attempting to spread sand or salt evenly over the hard packed road surface is extremely difficult because the particulate material, upon striking the hard packed surface, tends to bounce and roll to the shoulder of the road where it has little, if any, effect on road conditions.
It has been found that by moving a scraper blade equipped with teeth over an ice or snow packed road surface, valleys or indentations are formed along the surface of the road which capture and hold the dispensed sand and salt over the road bed where it can do the most good.
In many rural communities, unpaved or dirt roads are still in widespread use. These roads are in need of constant maintenance in order to keep the road bed in a condition to safely handle vehicular traffic. Here again, the vehicle best suited to perform this task is a single purpose road grader. Some poor rural communities, however, cannot afford this type of expensive specialized equipment. As a consequence, many of the roads fall into disrepair and can, in extreme cases, pose a hazard to vehicular travel.
As in the case of ice or snow covered roadways, it is desirable to spread particulate chemicals over dirt roads to prevent the spread of dust particularly during dry periods. Previously, oil was spread over these dirt roads to hold down the dust. However, the use of chemicals has replaced oil in treating dirt roads for environmental reasons. It is highly desirous to level the road beds while at the same time providing shallow grooves for capturing and holding dust suppressing chemicals. Again, this type of single purpose grading equipment is relatively expensive to purchase, maintain and operate, and in many cases, cannot be economically justified in many small rural communities.